The Union united with nearly 300 civil society organisations in a statement calling on world leaders to go above and beyond the vague and unambitious commitments contained in the Political Declaration of the third UN High-Level Meeting on Non-communicable Diseases (UN HLM on NCDs), adopted in New York this week.
The statement issued by the NCD Alliance, of which The Union is a member, commends the Heads of State and Government for embracing the opportunity the HLM presents to celebrate initiatives and progress, but contends that past actions will be insufficient to drive future change. Decisive new action is urgently needed to halt the tsunami effect of NCDs - on people, families, communities, and economies.
Shortcomings of the declaration include a missed opportunity to close the financing gap, with an absence of strong language on implementing the World Health Organization Best Buy interventions, which focus on taxation, regulation and legislation.
Perhaps the biggest disappointment within the declaration is a lack of accountability. The scheduling on the next UN HLM on NCDs is in seven years’ time and risks prolonged procrastination on the actions that are urgently needed now.
Katie Dain, CEO of the NCD Alliance, said: “This is a do-or-die moment: the lives and well-being of so many millions of people are at stake here.
“The Political Declaration adopted today is in a sick and sorry state and fails to be anywhere near ambitious enough to effectively tackle the global NCD epidemic.”
Despite these disappointments in the Declaration, the display of leadership throughout the negotiations on the 2018 UN Political Declaration from several countries in Latin America, the Caribbean, and the Pacific Region was inspiring, with demonstrable commitment to their people and communities.
Read the statement in full here.